FACTSHEET – Swine flu: What you should do.
Symptoms:
- Include fever, cough, sore throat, aches, feeling cold and fatigue
- Incubation period is from one – four days
- Infectious period – people are most infectious soon after they develop the symptoms. They can spread the virus for up to five days.
How is the virus transmitted:
- Coughing / sneezing
- Shaking hand of an infected person
- Touching surfaces / objects that are contaminated with the virus
How Businesses can prevent the spread of infection in the workplace
- Businesses should provide anti-bacterial wipes or fluid in the workplace
- Employees should always carry tissues
- Staff should regularly wash their hands with soap or a sanitizer gel and absorb coughs and sneezes in tissues
- Employees must bin the tissues after one use
What should businesses do if employees show signs of swine flu
- Advise employees to contact the National Pandemic Flu Line service Tel 0800 1 513 513 or visit www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu
- Individuals should be sent home
- Staff must not return to work until fully recovered
Special Considerations
· If an employee is pregnant, point them to special advice on the NHS Choices website - http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pandemic-flu/Pages/QA.aspx
Stay in touch - For further information
- Download detailed guidance for employers in the workplace from Department of Health website. http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1241246622785
- Email the official Government swine flu leaflet to all your employees http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/04April/Documents/Swine%20Flu%20Leaflet_Web%20Version.pdf